Theme Ventures floats SME marketing cell

Theme Ventures floats SME marketing cell

MUMBAI: Below-the-line marketing firm Theme Ventures has launched an SME marketing cell. To begin with, the division has inked a distribution and marketing deal with Delhi-based BCC cement and Kolkata-based Mahalaxmi TMT bar for establishing BCC‘s entire cement and TMT bar‘s distribution channel across Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Bihar and Jharkhand.

For BCC cement, Theme Ventures aims to devise a massive rural marketing drive attempting to penetrate into small towns and kasbas across Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan to encash on the growing demand for cement for housing as opposed to the traditional mud hut concept.
 
Meanwhile, the company has already begun appointing retailers for BCC cement and Mahalaxmi and is managing its day to day sales operations.

Says Theme Ventures CEO Rajan Guha, "We hold a mandate to establish micro-level distribution for both the brands at small towns, villages and kasbas. These mid size brands are fighting for market share amidst established biggies who however have not made an attempt to go to town with one lakh population." 
 
The launch strategy of both these infrastructure product brands is two fold: First, penetration and second, outreach.

Theme Ventures has started appointing dealers of TMT bars and cements across the smaller towns. Alongside, Theme Ventures has started tying up with panchayat pradhans in different villages to make them recommend cement as an alternate to mud brick houses.

In the meantime, BCC cement shall provide Theme Ventures a couple of mobile vans with audio visual and trained housing construction experts to visit every village where it has appointed dealers to advice villagers on usage of cement and make them understand the difference between various qualities of cement. 
 
Additionally, an extensive shop level visual merchandising programme has been devised for both BCC cement and Mahalaxmi across North India and Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand based on the footprint of the respective brands.

Said Guha, " Distribution and channel sales is a very complicated affair . Its also the nerve center for product marketing. With manpower cost spiraling, regional SMEs are finding it extremely difficult to retain and procure specialized distribution professionals. Theme Ventures is trying to fill in this void with a large pool of high quality trained professionals on its payroll, to set up and manage the day to day micro level product distribution for various companies across the country."